Does Stagnant Faith Indicate False Belief
The question of whether stagnant faith reveals false belief touches on the nature of faith itself and the relationship between genuine belief and spiritual growth. Scripture presents faith not as a static intellectual assent but as a living reality that, while subject to seasons of weakness, persists through struggle rather than collapsing into unbelief.
The Nature of True Faith
Aquinas distinguishes between matters that directly concern faith—the Trinity, the Incarnation, and other divinely revealed truths—and those that are peripheral [2]. Error about central doctrines, especially when held obstinately, constitutes heresy, but Augustine clarifies that mistakes about matters unrelated to "the way of approach to God" do not necessarily constitute sin [1]. This suggests that the content of belief matters more than its subjective vitality at any given moment. Faith, properly understood, adheres to objective truth rather than measuring itself by emotional intensity or perceptible growth.
Charles Hodge emphasizes that Christian faith rests on "the testimony of that Spirit with and by the truth" to the believer's heart, a change that "may, and often does, take place in a moment" [3]. This inward testimony provides the foundation for faith, analogous to the universal recognition of moral law. Yet Hodge also notes that faith "involves assent, and assent is conviction produced by evidence," requiring "appropriate" evidence for different kinds of truth [5]. The evidence for spiritual realities is spiritual—"the demonstration of the Spirit"—not empirical or merely rational.
Faith Under Pressure
The biblical portrait of Abraham's faith offers crucial insight. John Gill notes that Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God" despite overwhelming natural obstacles, remaining "strong in faith" even when circumstances contradicted divine promises [4]. Chrysostom amplifies this: "God neither gave any proof nor made any sign, but there were only bare words promising such things as nature did not hold out any hopes of" [6]. Abraham's faith persisted not because it felt vibrant but because it clung to God's word against contrary evidence.
Calvin addresses the reality of faith's fluctuations directly. Believers "at times become dumb, as if their faith were overthrown," yet they "do not withdraw or turn their backs, but persevere in the contest" [8]. This perseverance distinguishes genuine faith from its counterfeit. Calvin observes that believers pray with the Psalmist, "Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth," acknowledging their weakness while refusing to surrender to it. The struggle itself—the prayer that stimulates sluggishness rather than yielding to stupor—marks authentic faith.
Stagnation Versus Apostasy
The critical distinction lies between stagnation and abandonment. Gill notes that "some of God's children, through unbelief, do stagger at the promises of God; thinking either that they are too great for them, or demur upon them through difficulties" [4]. This staggering, this hesitation born of unbelief, afflicts genuine believers without necessarily indicating false faith. The difference appears in the response: true faith, however weak, continues to engage with God's promises rather than dismissing them.
Augustine's discussion of false inferences from false premises illuminates how error propagates [7]. Those who denied the resurrection drew logically valid but materially false conclusions from their faulty premise. Similarly, stagnant faith might rest on misunderstandings or incomplete knowledge without being fundamentally false, provided the core object of faith—Christ himself and the essential truths of the gospel—remains intact.
The patristic and Reformed traditions converge on this point: faith's authenticity is tested not by its subjective strength but by its object and its persistence. A faith that endures through doubt, that prays through numbness, that clings to promises despite feeling their weight—this faith, however stagnant it appears, differs fundamentally from the abandonment of belief. The question is not whether faith always feels alive but whether it continues to hold, however weakly, to the truth it once embraced with greater clarity.
Sources
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 21.--ERROR, THOUGH NOT ALWAYS A: SIN, IS ALWAYS AN EVIL. But as to those matters in regard to which 245 our belief or disbelief, and indeed their truth or supposed truth or falsity, are of no importance whatever, so far as attaining the kingdom of God is concerned: to make a mistake in such matters is not to be looked on as a sin, or at least as a very small and trifling sin. In short, a mistake in matters of this kind, whatever its nature and magnitude, does not relate to the way of approach to God, which is the faith of Christ that "worket”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Knowledge of the Divine Persons, Art. 4: Article: Whether it is lawful to have various contrary opinions of notions? I answer that, Anything is of faith in two ways; directly, where any truth comes to us principally as divinely taught, as the trinity and unity of God, the Incarnation of the Son, and the like; and concerning these truths a false opinion of itself involves heresy, especially if it be held obstinately. A thing is of faith, indirectly, if the denial of it involves as a consequence something against faith; as for instance if a”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 11: of research or argument, but of inward experience. The change may, and often does, take place in a moment. The faith of a Christian in the Bible is, as before remarked, analogous to that which all men have in the moral law, which they recognize not only as truth, but as having the authority of God. What the natural man perceives with regard to the moral law the renewed man is enabled to perceive in regard to “the things of the Spirit,” by the testimony of that Spirit with and by the truth to his heart. Proof from Express Declarations of S”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 4:19: He staggered not at the promise of God,.... There is no reason to stagger at, or hesitate about any of the promises of God, since they are made by him that cannot lie; his faithfulness is engaged to perform them; with him all things are possible; every promise is in Christ, yea and amen, and never did any fail; and yet so it is, that some of God's children, through unbelief, do stagger at the promises of God; thinking either that they are too great for them, or demur upon them through difficulties which attend them: but so did not Abraham, he was strong in faith”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 20: supported. On this point it may be remarked, — 1. That as faith involves assent, and assent is conviction produced by evidence, it follows that faith without evidence is either irrational or impossible. 2. This evidence must be appropriate to the nature of the truth believed. Historical truth requires historical evidence; empirical truths, the testimony of experience; mathematical truth, mathematical evidence; moral truth, moral evidence; and “the things of the Spirit,” the demonstration of the Spirit. In many cases different kinds of evi”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: and a fourth 1314 1314 i.e. Sarah’s personal barrenness, and her present age. obstacle. Ver. 20 . “But he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief.” For God neither gave any proof nor made 391 any sign, but there were only bare words promising such things as nature did not hold out any hopes of. Yet still he says, “he staggered not.” He does not say, “He did not disbelieve,” but, “He staggered not,” that is, he neither doubted nor hesitated though the hindrances were so great. From this we learn, that if God promise even countless impossi”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 31.--USE OF DIALECTICS. OF FALLACIES. (part 2): nor was their faith in vain who had believed it. But all these false inferences followed legitimately from the opinion of those who said that there is no resurrection of the dead. These inferences, then, being repudiated as false, it follows that since they would be true if the dead rise not, there will be a resurrection of the dead. As, then, valid conclusions may be drawn not only from true but from false propositions, the laws of valid reasoning may easily be learnt in the school”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: hence, feeling conscious of their own weakness, they pray with the Prophet, “Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouths” ( Psalm 119:43 ). By these words, we are taught that they at times become dumb, as if their faith were overthrown, and yet that they do not withdraw or turn their backs, but persevere in the contest, and by prayer stimulate their sluggishness, so as not to fall into stupor by giving way to it. (See Calv. in Psalm 88:16 ). 18. To make this intelligible, we must return to the distinction 486 between flesh ”